Absorption cycle refrigerating apparatus



Patented Aug. 25, 1936 UNITED STATES- ABSORPTION CYCLE REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Edmund E. Auyne Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to Allyne Laboratories, Inc.,l Cleveland, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Original application February 7. 1929, Serial No. 338,174, now Patent No.

1,978,662. Divided and this application April 7,1933, Serial No. 665,029

4 Claims.

absorption refrigthis application is a divi- -sion of my copending application, Serial No.

338,174, filed February 7, 1929, now Patent No. 1,978,662 granted Oct. 30, 1934.

'I'he object of this invention is to provide arefrigerator or icebox with absorption refrigeratmg apparatus and to so arrange and equip such absorption apparatus with suitable means whereby it may be' operated by air cooling and without the use of impounded or running water.

In accomplishing this result a suitable cabinet is provided with an apparatus compartment for the condenser, still-absorber, cooling loop and burner. This apparatus compartment is also provided with means forming part of a iiue system and. communicates with a main upper ue extending preferably up the back of the. box and open at the top to the atmosphere whereby the draft created by the flue especially withthe heat produced in the cycle will cool the condenser during the heating period and later cool the still to promote absorption during the cooling period.

.The invention also contemplates the isolation of a rectier in an auxiliary flue all its own and controlling the air circulation through such iiue to the end of having a rectier subjected to the ideal Atemperature for ideal rectifying purposes. Anotherfeature of this invention is the isolation of the evaporator supply and gas return pipe or conduit ina second auxiliary flue to prevent it being subjected to the heat from the still absorber and to promote its idealfunctioning in the apparatus.

Still another feature oi the invention is a very eicient air cooled loop arrangement, for use in cooling the boiler liquor during the cooling period for promoting absorption. circulation in this loop being set up by the returning. gas during the cooling Other details of the invention will be brought out in the following description, drawings, and' claims.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view taken through the refrigerator from front to rear with parts shown in section and elevatiomFig. 2 is a rear elevation of the box; Fig. 3 is a section on the line -3-3, Fig. 2.

In the embodiment shown in the drawings the refrigerating cabinet comprises a heat insulating casing] open at the iront to form the refrigerating chamber. The cabinet also includes a lower apparatus compartment 2 open at the front and the walls of which support the refrigerating chamber andits casing 'I'he apparatus compartment 2 is deeper than the refrigerating chamber and is open at Vthe front and at the bottom, -the former for access to the apparatus and the latter for providing an open mouth for a flue and for 26 is closed except for receiving the condenser, as will appear. Extending fromrthe lower front edge of the apparatus compartment to the back edge of the refrigerating chamber is a ilue plate 3 forming. with the sides and the back a flue compartment 3' for the condenser, the cooling'loop, the burner and the still absorber. The back 4 of this apparatus compartment is continued upward for thev full width and height of the box and together with side plates 5 and 6 and intermediate strips I and 8, form a main ilue 9, a rectifier flue I0, and a gas supply and return flue Il as shown clearly in Fig. 3. Arranged.' in the bottom opening of the apparatus chamber 2 and the flue chamber 3' therein is a condenser comprising a plurality of coils I2 arranged in a lower group and anupper smaller group and extending from the frontpart way toward the back. All ofy thesecoils are provided with ns I3 to increase the transfer of the heat to the air current passing up through the -20 flue. Arranged above the condenser and in this flue portion I is'a still-absorber in the form of a horizontally arranged tank I4. 'I'his stillabsorber or tank is provided at one of its ends with a pair of downwardly extending conduits I5 communicating with -the still-'absorber ata point Labove the bottom thereof and with a horizontal tinued downward in a sump conduit 2| leading to a suitable sump in the form of a long closed end 1 tubular member. Communicating with-the pair of loop conduits I5 and extending into their sides u are two gas return connections 23 and 24, the former being slightly lower than' the latter and both merging into a single gas return pipe 25 entering the side of a trap casing 26 about` a third of the way down from its top. Thistrap casing the pipes which enter it. Extending upwardly from the end of the still adjacent the flue I0 is a gas outletA and rectiiier tube or pipe 2'I which extends to the top of theY flue Ill and returns to and enters the trap casing 26 and extends to a point near the bottom thereof and hence below the surface of the liquor therein. The ilue 'III is preferably provided with a cross partition or diaphragm plate 128 having an opening 29 therein adapted to be closed by a suiti able damper 3| arranged upon the lower end of a f thermostatic rod 3| guided in a bracket 32 at the bottom and adiustably mounted in a bracket 33 at the top. Thearrangement of this thermostatic rod is such that when the` temperature in a. pipe 31, extending up through the 'flue il with an evaporator storage tank 38. The bottom of this storage tank is connected to a refrigerating unit or grid comprising the pipes 39 extending back and forth in a horizontal grid and at the far end ending in a sump 40 connected by a pipe 4I with the upper end of a sealing trap comprising the parts 42 and 43,the latter being connected by a cross pressure equalizing pipe 44 with the pipe 31. The trap comprising the parts '42 and 43 may be of any preferred construction,

it being only necessary that it be of a type for sustaining the proper column of 'liquid refrigerant in the evaporator as a whole and yet permitting the return of any accumulated boiler liquor to the still through the pipe 44 and.' the pipe 31. Above the refrigerating grid, formed of the pipes 39, is a heat absorber comprising a pan 45 adapted'to rest on this grid and at its rear to snugly fit as at 46 the storage 38. Below the refrigerating grid is a heat insulating slab 41 extending `up in rear of the still-absorber time it will be ready to the back as at 4B to a point where it contacts with the grid coil. This forms achamber for ice cube containers 49. The compartment formed above the refrigerating grid is closed by a relatively narrow horizontally extending hinged door 50 while the ice cube compartment is closed by a similar hinged narrow door 5I both of these doors being within the main door 52 of the box.

The boiler is provided with a main burner 53 having a pilot 54, the latter being arranged to the and directly under the main flue 9 so as to instill a draft upwardly therein. Extending from pilot down to the main burner is a trailing tube 55 provided with a plurality of closely associated openings 56. This trailing tube is closed at its end near 'the pilot and is open to the main burner so that when the main burner is supplied with fuel or, in other words, when the fuel is turned on to the main burner a trail of small gas supplies will extend from the pilot to the main burner. These gas supplies will ignite and the flame will trail from the pilot down to the main burner and light it. By this arrangement the pilot may be kept burning al1 the time to promote circulation of air for cooling the condenser and other parts during cooling .period and will not be effective upon the still or other parts.` At the same ignite the main burner at the proper time.

From the foregoing it will be seen that during the heating period heat will be applied to the liquor in the still which will give up its ammonia gas. This gas will rise through the rectifier and be rectified and will pass down below the surface of the liquor in the main trap casing 26, bubble up through this liquid and passing out by the condenser pipe 35 to the top o f the condenser where it will be condensed by the cooling action of the air and the pressure created within the device. Asthe rectied gas collects in the condenser itis forced up through the pipe 31 past the trap 43 and up to the top. of the storage 38.

the Iflame zone of this It will flow into the storage and into the refrigerating unit or grid if it be empty and cool to the proper level as determined by trap 43. Any heat carried' by this liquid refrigerant will be readlyabsorbed by the heat absorber which may be in the form of a cake of ice in the container 45, transfer of heat from the storage to this absorber being greatly facilitated by the nesting relation of this absorber about one side of the storage. When the heating period terminates the condenser and still cool by the circulation of air, assisted by the heat, through the flue formed in the apparatus and the liquid refrigerant in the evaporator gasies and returns by the pipe 31 to the condenser thence through the pipe 35 to the top of the trap and lthrough the loop pipe 25 to the conduits I5 where it bubbles up through the liquor in these conduits and starts the circulation of the boiler liquid therein. The draft in the ue therefore cools the loop and absorption takes place with a consequent refrigeration in the apparatus.

The provision of the flue and the arrangement of the still loop and condenser within the flue is of great importance because the heat generated by the apparatus tends to produce the proper cooling of the parts at the proper time and permits air cooling of the apparatus and does away with the usual impounded and circulating water.

arrangement.

What I claim is:

l. In a refrigerating apparatus an evaporator, a still-absorber and a condenser connected in operative cycle, and a cooling loop for said stillabsorber, said loop comprising a pair of conduits connected to the still-absorber in spaced relation, a header connected to each of said conduits, a plurality of pipes connecting said headers to form a grid and means for leading the gas returning from said evaporator to one of said conduits.

2. In a refrigera ing apparatus, an evaporator, a still-absorber an condenser connected in operative cycle and a oling loop for said stillabsorber, said loop comprising a pair of adjacent depending conduits connected at one end of the still-absorber and a single conduit depending from the opposite end of said still-absorber, horizontal headers connected to the pair of adjacent conduits and to the said single conduit, a plurality of spaced apart pipes connecting said horizontal headers to form a grid and a conduit connecting said evaporator and one of said depending conduits.

3. In an absorption type refrigerating apparatus, a still-absorber, evaporator and condenser connected in operative series, a heat exchanger in communication with said still absorber comprising a pair-of 'spacedyertical conduits conv nected adjacent one end of the still-absorber, a vertical conduit connected adjacent the other end thereof, horizontal pipes connecting the spaced conduits and a heating device for said stillabsorber positioned between the said horizontal pipes and the still-absorber and said vertically spaced conduits.

4. In refrigerating apparatus of the character described, a still-absorber, a cooling loop in closed circuit therewith, said loop extending below said still-absorber and in communication therewith"L adjacent one end thereof by spaced conduits, and adjacent the opposite end of the still-absorber by a single conduit, a heater positioned between th'e spaced conduits and lying intermediate the stillabsorber and the cooling loop. 

